"Macho Man" Randy Savage, one of pro wrestling's most memorable figures and an icon of pop culture, died this morning in a car accident. Savage was behind the wheel when he reportedly suffered a heart attack, causing him to veer off the road and collide with a tree. He was 58.
Although I was never much of a pro wrestling fan growing up, Macho Man's reach and popularity were inescapable. With Leather's Brandon Stroud has much better words for this:
The importance of Savage as a performer can’t be overstated. He was simply one of the greatest and most memorable pro wrestlers in the history of the industry. His career began in 1973 and took him through the two biggest boom periods in pro wrestling popularity, first in the “Rock n’ Wrestling” WWF of the 1980s and then as a part of World Championship Wrestling and the nWo in the 1990s. He was in cartoons, wrestled Peter Parker, held a heavyweight championship wherever he went and participated in the consensus choice for the greatest match of all time against Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat in front of every imaginable wrestling fan at Wrestlemania III.
You can’t just toss a guy like this into a recap paragraph. Savage is a pillar of nearly all of our wrestling memories, be it on Saturday mornings or Monday nights or in pillow form. Slim Jims, neon hats, raspy voices, marriage proposals … they are all indelibly marked by the Macho Man. Heaven saw somebody corpsing and sent for The Man.
Indeed. It really is a sad day for anyone with a love of pop culture. As Ron Swanson might say, "Half mast is too high."
Following pages: a humble tribute to the Macho Man.
Because I wasn't a pro wrestling fan, this was the moment he won me over. The way he said "ART THOU BORED?" remains one of the funniest things I've ever heard.
Miss Elizabeth's response? "OHHHHH YEAHHHHH."
For the last several months, I've been following Where's Randy Savage? on tumblr, a blog that Photoshops the Macho Man into various different scenarios. Here's my submission for today.
![[avatar]](http://p.uproxxcdn.com/photo/226/thumb)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/it-looks-like-nasas-kepler-telescope-has-come-to-the-end-of-the-road-150x150.jpg)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/harryhausen-150x150.gif)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/03/shutterstock_33348172-150x150.jpg)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/03/au0LG.AuSt_.77-150x150.jpg)
Savage was behind the wheel when he reportedly suffered a heart attack, causing him to veer off the road and collide with a tree.
Next time, snap into a slim limb.
He just challenged Gabriel to get into the squared circle.
RIP Grandpa Ghostal
He’s partying with Curt Hennig now.
+1 Stinky Pete (that depraved joke got me from sad to laughing in under a minute)
Yeah, fucking hell, that was great Pete.
Thirded on Pete’s comment. I LOL’d.
RIP into a Slim Jim!
All I know is that there is gonna be a slobberknocker in the great beyond as Macho Man Randy Savage steps into the ring with his tag partners Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt against Attila the Hun, Adolph Eichmann, and Genghis Khan in a six way tag rumble. ONLY ON PAY PER VIEW!
What the HELL was an interplanetary celebrity like the Macho Man doing driving himself?!?! Damn you cruel universe! DAMN YOU!!!!!!!
Seriously, I’ve been going form site to site hoping that this was false but damn. Half mast is too high.
@thecursor,
I would totally pay to watch that.
I propose that “Pomp & Circumstance” be banned from all future graduation ceremonies across the world. Only one man deserved that intro.
I laughed so hard in the insane promo with Sherri and Deebo from Friday. I had to pause it and make sure I wasn’t going crazy when I saw her ducking in the background to not get caught by the camera before popping up in front of the cage.
“You don’t know where I’m going to be, Hogan!”
RIP to Sherri, too, while we’re here.
@Steve Holt!- I’m already picturing the prefight interview: “Tonight I’m gonna grab hold of Genghis Khan and make him squeal for his momma. I’m teamin’ up with the Presidential Express, Roosevelt and my man Lincoln, and we’re gonna make those suckas feel pain. They will regret the day they messed with the Macho Man! OOOOOH YEAH!”
Porky1- /agree.
Yooooouuu listen up and listen up goood ohhhhhh yeaaaaaaa. Tonight im gonna fight a no hold bars cage match against Bin Laden. OH yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.
But Lanny “the Genius” Poffo still walks the earth?
I’ll sleep alright.
His awesomeness could no longer be contained in the earthly realm
By the way, the Presidential Express is my new band name.
On Sunday morning, when they ask why the Rapture didn’t come, just tell them that the Macho Man was there to fight off the Four Horsemen.
Fuck you, Hogan. The Macho King saved the world.
With all the wrestling deaths over the years, this is the first one I’ve ever felt sad about. R.I.P. Macho Man.